Far from Forgotten
by StarGazer3
Summary: A sudden raid turns a girl's life to chaos...if she lives that long. Meanwhile, Kel and co. are helping a friend deal with a tragic loss. My first fic! Please R/R. C'mon! You know you want too!
1. The raid

A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for coming and reading my fic! I'm sorry if it makes no sense, I'm sortof in shock from the TWO (yes, count 'em) TWO chemistry tests I've just failed. sigh But that just goes to show you that I'm used to failure, so like it or love it, please let me know what you think. 

Lov ya all~ 

Emy 

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to the almighty Ms. Pierce. Don't sue.

Evelyn of King's Reach awoke with a start. She could feel a cold sweat breaking out on her body. Something was not right. Her room was quiet. The air had a cool, crisp feeling to it, refreshing after the heat of the summer day that let Evelyn know it was a few hours past midnight. Slipping quietly out of bed, she walked to the window. Opening the shutters, she peered out into the darkness. Here on the second floor of the fief, she should be able to spot anything unusual in the light of the half moon. However, a thorough scan of the area surrounding the hold produced nothing. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.

She paced around the room, snapping her fingers, trying in vain to lessen her anxiety. She briefly considered waking her parents, an idea she almost immediately rejected. *What am I? A frightened toddler?* She scowled. A cloud passed over the moon, causing a blanket of darkness to cascade over everything. Evelyn shuddered involuntarily, her heart beating suddenly faster. She crept up to the window again, searching the night for anything that would give substance to her fears. Something was wrong with the scenery before her, she realized. It took her a moment to put her finger on it. Then it hit her. Where was the watchman? She noticed movement by the southern gate. Something was sneaking into the hold! She caught the flash of metal in the dimness. Racing down the hall to the guard, she cried, "Invaders! Sound the alarm! Some one's in the south entrance!"

Her warning came too late, however, because at that exact moment, the raiders decided to announce their arrival with a chilling war cry and a volley of fire-arrows. Seeing the flaming arrows rising like so many phoenixes, Evelyn ran back down the hall and flew into her younger sister's room. Shaking her awake, she gasped, "Christa, come on! We're under attack. You've got to wake up now!" 

Yawning, Christa sneered in an infuriatingly condescending voice for a sister two years younger, "Oh, what is it now, Evie? Did my sister-pooh have a bad dream?" 

Evelyn sighed. Ever since her seven-year-old sister had reached the same height as Evie, she had been unbearable. Yet Evelyn loved her "little" sister and felt bound to watch out for her. Still, it was very trying on her patience. 

" CHRIS-TAH! We don't have time for this!" A sudden crash that made the building tremble, followed by a barbarous shout, proved the seriousness of the situation. 

"Point taken." Christa squeaked. "What do we do?" 

Evelyn sighed, grabbing her hand and dragging her out the door. "We find Mother and Father, and see how we can help." They had reached their parents' bedroom by now, and pushing open the door, the sisters quickly discovered that their parents were not within. They headed back out the door, and as they passed their parents' dresser, Evie spotted her father's dagger lying on the edge of it. Grabbing it, she tucked it into a fold of her nightgown. Her older brother, Faleron, had taught the sisters some of what he had learned as a page at their persistence last year. Now it seemed like they were going to be tested on their lessons. 

Christa eyed her with disbelief. "Right. Like you could actually use that."

"Let's hope we don't have to find out," Evelyn replied coldly, the fear she felt audible in the strain on her voice. Christa, finally aware of the seriousness of the situation, was silent as they moved down the staircase where they could found people rushing too and fro, carrying buckets of water. The giant doors of the fief were groaning and splintering. It was obvious that the invaders would soon be inside. She saw her father standing at the head of a group of men, sword drawn. His lips were tight; he looked strained. 

He turned around slightly and noticed them. His face went slightly pale. "Christa, Evie, you have to get out of here now!"

Christa turned to go. Evie grabbed her back. "We want to help. Please? And where's Mother?"

"She's with a healer. Please, Evie, you've got to go! You know the back route. There's nothing you could do here. Evelyn, Christa needs you."

Evelyn glared at him. She didn't want to leave her parents and home. But he had said the only thing that would get her to go. She wouldn't abandon her sister, a fact he well knew. She raced up to hug her father. He returned it briefly, then shoved her towards the door. "I love you girls. Now get going!"

The sisters sprinted out of the hall in time to here the crack of timbers behind them, followed by the clash of iron. Evelyn fought the urge to turn back, concentrating on the twisting corridors and struggling not to trip in the darkness. 

"Some light would help, Evie!" panted Christa, spitting out a wayward strand of flaxen hair.

"Oh, right." She collected a pool of her golden Gift in her palm, the light it produced casting eerie shadows on the walls as they continued to run.

They reached the kitchen, and the girls stepped in, proceeding much more cautiously. Reaching the scullery door, they paused a moment, then swung it open hesitatingly. This side of the house was unnerveingly quiet. After waiting what seemed like an eternity, Evelyn let out her breath (which she hadn't realized she'd been holding) and slowly slipped out, expecting to catch herself on the end of a blade any second. When Christa had slunk out beside her, the two began to creep over to the eastern gate. Their progress was halting. Stopping every few feet to glance around, they eventually made it to the gate. Christa walked out in front of Evie, her nerves forcing her to move quickly. Evie moved more cautiously even now that they were passed the gate. 

Suddenly, up ahead of her, Christa screamed, a gigantic, vicious looking man holding a knife had crept up behind Evie's sister. Evelyn felt herself go cold. She fumbled in her nightgown for the dagger. The man's back was facing her. Gripping the dagger, she steeled herself. She watched as Christa punched him once hard in the face before being pinned by one of the man's arms. The man raised his knife to stab her, laughing cruelly. His laughter turned into a sputtering cough as Evelyn's dagger sheathed itself in his throat. Sound of bodies crashing through the shrubbery behind them brought a stunned Evelyn back to reality. Pulling an ashen-faced Christa to her feet, she ran forward towards the cover of the forest. Only a few feet more to go!

Without warning, pain ripped through Evelyn's shoulder, knocking her to the ground, She gasped with shock as she saw the arrow protruding through her body. "Christa, help!"

Christa glanced back once at her injured sister before running into the woods. 

"Dear Goddess, Christa, don't leave me!" Tears stung Evelyn's eyes as she struggled to rise.

The only answer was the crescendo of the footstep of her pursuers growing closer.


	2. Escape?

Thanks so much to all of you who reviewed

So sorry for the delay! The past month has been H-E-double hockey sticks. Thanks so much to all of you who reviewed! You guys are the best. I'm so glad you liked my story. I must admit I was a little shocked (not to mention flattered). Something of mine making sense? Surly you jest. Sorry, no I'm not a fast typist, but I'll try to have *something* up soon from now on. Enough chat! More story.

Disclaimer: This world and most of the people belong to the illustrious Tamora Pierce. The stuff that doesn't make sense is mine. No suing.

"Dear Goddess, Christa, don't leave me!" Tears stung Evelyn's eyes as she struggled to rise.

The only answer was the crescendo of the footstep of her pursuers growing closer. Stunned as much by her abandonment as by her wound, Evelyn was tempted to just lie there and let the invaders get her. But something inside her would not let her give up. Ignoring the stabbing pain and the waves of nausea accompanying it, she rose to her feet and jogged the rest of the way into the forest, trying not to jar her shoulder. 

She collapsed in the shelter of the underbrush, quietly catching her breath and listening anxiously for the raiders. Eventually satisfied that they were not going to follow her into the woods, she inspected her injury. She almost wanted to swoon when she saw the cruel black arrow still embedded in her shoulder, but she forced herself to examine it. The wound was not too deep; she could probably remove it without causing herself too much damage. Clenching her teeth, she carefully drew it out. Examining it, she satisfied herself that the arrow was not poisonous. Using her Gift, she reduced the bleeding to a trickle, but she hadn't had the training to do much more than that. _I can cure colds, but not puncture wounds. Who'd have guessed I'd need to know how to heal an arrow wound? _Evelyn knew she had to see a real healer. 

She sat there for a little while huddled in a ball. Suddenly, unbidden, came the image of the man she had killed. She felt sick. She had to get away! Standing up, she took off, forcing her shaky legs into a run. She felt that if she could just run fast enough, she could escape the horror of her deed. She sprinted recklessly deeper into the forest, headless of the branches and vines that scratched and tore at her. She couldn't shake the images from her head: her father, Christa, the man she had killed. Her ragged breathing turned into sobs. The world began to swirl around her. Her shoulder was throbbing and bleeding again. The trees kept spinning faster and faster. She tripped on a root and fell hard to the ground. Panting, she lay there, slowly drifting into unconsciousness. She could not hear the voices coming closer… 

A/N: I'd just like to thank everyone who reviewed again. I should have the next chapter up later this week.


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